Judging by the write up on the Kidspiration website and the screen shots the new Kidspiration may be a competitor to the last edition of Classroom Suite... if only it had switch scanning.
The features are copied below and you can go to the website to download a free trial.
From the company website:
Created for K-5 learners, Kidspiration® 3 uses the proven principles of visual learning to strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math and develop thinking skills across the curriculum.
The newest version of Kidspiration offers exciting new capabilities including 3000+ symbols, keyword symbol search, Word Guide, enhanced auditory support, new visual math tools, and more curriculum materials. These added functionalities work together to give students more opportunities to explore new concepts, discover meaning and express themselves with pictures, text, numbers and spoken words.
New capabilities strengthen reading
and writing skills
Kidspiration builds students' word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension using visual tools that combine pictures, text and spoken words.
- Expanded symbol library
3,000+ symbols offer visual support for concepts taught in K-5 language arts, social studies and science curriculum, providing students with more opportunities to express themselves visually.
- Symbol search
Students search for symbols by keywords to find just the right picture, image or symbol to express their thoughts and ideas.
- Kidspiration Word Guide
This combination dictionary and thesaurus supports vocabulary and reading comprehension with easy access to nearly 13,000 words. It includes sight vocabulary from the Dolch and Fry's word list and aligns with TESL vocabulary to support ELL and ESL students. Each entry includes definitions, synonyms and antonyms, parts of speech, sample sentences, images and recorded speech to guide pronunciation of words.
- Enhanced audio support
Longer recording time encourages students to express and document their ideas. Teachers have more flexibility when recording instructions and comments. For ESL and ELL learners, teachers can record instructions in native languages to enhance student understanding.
 | New Math View builds conceptual understanding in math |
Five visual math tools
Kidspiration's visual math tools focus on the core conceptual foundations of counting, place value computation and geometric thinking. Students build number sense, spatial reasoning and understand the meaning behind the four basic operations while communicating their thinking with words, numbers and math symbols.
Kidspiration Color Tiles™
Students use Kidspiration Color Tiles to count and compare, explore properties of number and operations and develop computation strategies. With Kidspiration Color Tiles, students learn to solve area and perimeter problems and model number patterns and the four basic operations.
Kidspiration Pattern Blocks™
Students use Kidspiration Pattern Blocks to investigate the properties and attributes of shapes through composition and decomposition. They produce patterns and tessellations, explore similarity and congruence, experiment with symmetry and represent fractions.
Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks™
Students use Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks to understand place value and strengthen number sense. With Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks, they count, compare, group, partition and create equivalent representations of whole numbers and decimals. Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks also introduce students to procedures for operations on multi-digit numbers.
Kidspiration Fraction Tiles™
Students use Kidspiration Fraction Tiles to compare and order fractions and to understand equivalent fractions. They find common denominators, translate between improper fractions and mixed numbers and model basic operations with fractions.
Kidspiration Fraction Boxes™
Students use Kidspiration Fraction Boxes to represent fractions visually to build a strong conceptual foundation for future work with fractions. Students compare, order, simplify and find equivalent fractions. They use Kidspiration Fraction Boxes to model basic operations with like and unlike denominators. Kidspiration Fraction Boxes also introduce students to improper fractions, mixed numbers and representing word problems.
New features and functions make Kidspiration's math tools easy to use
- Kidspiration Math SuperGrouper™ helps students count, sort and show operations visually. Teachers and students label Math SuperGroupers as a conceptual building block for word problems.
- Math Text Boxes document math operations using words, numbers and structured frames. The Math Text Box supports writing fractions, division problems and vertical math notations.
- Step Workspace shows progression of work with a sequential work area to document steps while problem-solving.
- Cross-Out Stamp gives students a visual indicator to use when they mark, take away or remove items.
- Multiple pages in a document streamline workspace management.
Kidspiration now includes more curriculum content, new teacher tools and standards-aligned lesson plans in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies developed specifically for grades K-5, along with 150+ activity templates.
- 150+ enhanced quick-start activity templates give teachers classroom-ready resources and provide a launching pad to customize and create lessons for individual learners, small groups and the whole class.
- Tutorials provide a fast effective way to introduce teachers to visual learning with Kidspiration so they're successful from the start.
- Teacher Resources Online provides additional lesson plans and activities.
Thanks for this terrific review of the new Kidspiration. Looks like it has tremendous potential, even if it doesn't scan. --Paul
ReplyDelete